


Memories of Falling Stars

by MathiasHyde



Series: Star Drifter series [2]
Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-30
Updated: 2015-07-28
Packaged: 2018-02-23 05:38:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2536172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MathiasHyde/pseuds/MathiasHyde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of short side stories set in the Gateway/Promenade universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> SanaAtoTez military school short

"Fine, I yield, I yield."

Tezuka relaxed slightly and moved the practice knife away from Atobe’s neck and got up from pinning him to the ground. Atobe’s grip on his hand as Tezuka helped him up was tighter than usual and he felt the slight squeeze before he let go, Atobe’s stare blue and intense.

They moved to watch the next match up between Sanada and another member of their class, standing side by side. Sanada looked calm as ever as he bowed to his opponent.

"It seems you’re on track to be top of the class _again_ this semester,” Atobe said with a disapproving sniff and Tezuka could hear the annoyance in his voice. Atobe was never happy with losing. At least it wasn’t like in first year when a loss would mean the silent treatment for a few days, which had happened a lot. ”Well, I guess I can accept you being able to top me at _something_.”

"Keigo."

Atobe laughed and smiled at him before returning his gaze to the front. “Genichirou won easily.”

Tezuka nodded and watched as Sanada practically pulled his opponent up to his feet by their elbow. That had been over very quickly. “Who will you be hoping wins between us?”

There was a long pause and Atobe looked at him with a thoughtful tilt to his head. “You, I suppose.” He paused and his eyes narrowed. “Since you managed to defeat me, losing to anyone else would be unacceptable. And then I’ll have a chance to win my round with Genichirou and claim second place.” Atobe sniffed again and turned away and Tezuka shook his head slightly. “So you best win, Kunimitsu.”

The match against Sanada was drawn out and by far the most difficult of the class, the two of them evenly matched. But Tezuka claimed victory in the end.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Atobe meets Tezuka and Sanada's grandfathers.

"I heard the two of you are going home to the Moon for end of year break," Atobe said, crossing his arms and looking down at the two of them sitting in the break room playing cards.

It was interesting to observe the two of them. Tezuka folded his cards down on the table and gave him his full attention while Sanada continued to frown down at his hand. Atobe cast an eye on the mess of cards in front of them and figured Sanada must be losing.

"Most people do," Tezuka said. "You said you were going to so we arranged to return home as well."

Atobe sniffed and glanced between the two of them. “I’ve changed my mind. I want to go to the moon as well this year.”

Sanada looked up at him finally, his hand slackening and his cards falling out on the table. “What?”

"Considering everything that’s happened between the three of us, it’s only right that I take the opportunity to meet your families." Atobe drew himself up a little taller and smiled. "Cancel your current plans for transportation, I will arrange something more suitable."

He saw the look that passed between Tezuka and Sanada at his words but he gave it no mind. Both of them had spoken very highly of their families - their grandfathers in particular - to him, he had no doubts this would be a far better break than being back on the Atobe estate in the colonies.

—

He had found out Tezuka and Sanada had booked seats on a public civilian shuttle and while they had both told him that cancelling their booking and arranging for his own private shuttle to take them to the Moon was unnecessary, neither of them had protested overly much. And they hadn’t pressed the issue of the seat in the same row as them still being available in their original booking, or the fare being on sale when he’d looked at it.

Atobe had seen Tezuka and Sanada having private conversations more than usual in the few days leading up to their departure, and one time Sanada had an extended conversation with his grandfather and was quite reluctant to provide any details. The only thing he’d been willing to say on the topic was that Atobe had permission to stay at Sanada’s house for the duration of his visit, which had mollified him a little and spared Sanada from the quite effective silent treatment for a few days.

There was, perhaps for a moment, a little bit of doubt in in his mind about meeting their grandfathers. After all, from what they had both said, the two men had effectively raised them both and as far as Atobe was concerned, both Sanada and Tezuka were exemplary people and some of the few people worthy of being called his equal or even better than in some cases. He could only imagine that the men were… like older versions of his friends, really, who were already old souls. So perhaps they were not that hard to imagine afterall.

They were greeted at the terminal by a driver and Tezuka paused, looking down at the screen of his communicator. “They’re both at your house, Genichirou. My grandfather says for me to meet him there.”

"Aa."

Both of them were more than happy to walk to Sanada’s house - it wasn’t that far away, they claimed - but Atobe insisted on paying for a car and the man listened to Sanada give the address. They also seemed more tense than usual, their silences heavier and Sanada’s eyebrows seemed to be drawn together in a frown slightly more than usual.

Sanada’s house was… different to how he’d imagined it. Large, sprawling and inspired by Old East Asia Republic styles he knew, and rather out of place amongst the clean cut, modern houses on either side. But as he continued to look at it as he got out of the car, it was almost like he couldn’t believe he had imagined anything different.

Tezuka wasn’t looking at what he was doing as he opened the gate, but somehow knew the key combination and pushed open the gate regardless and Sanada gestured for Atobe to go first before following behind him. He was led into the house and after quickly depositing their bags into a room, further into the house.

His first thought when he saw the backs of the two old men sitting next to each other was that they looked just like Tezuka and Sanada would if their hair was white. The two men were both smoking and talking in low tones to each other, looking out onto an old East Asia Republic style garden.

"Grandfather," Sanada said, stepping forward and Atobe frowned as he felt the gentle push backwards behind Sanada and found his view partly blocked. "Uncle."

Almost as one they turned around and despite the lines of care and age, and the beards, they looked remarkably like his friends. It seems that his imagined appearances of them hadn’t been too far off.

"Stand aside, Genichirou, I want to see your friend."

Sanada hesitated for just a moment and Atobe could see the tensing in the muscles of his back before he stepped to the side. Atobe lifted his chin and stared at them both, not allowing himself to back down under their rather intense gazes.

"Too thin," Tezuka’s grandfather commented first. "But Kunimitsu has lost weight as well."

"They’re protecting him, look." Sanada twitched slightly at his grandfather’s words that almost seemed amused. "He might come between them."

"Rivalry could be good for them."

"Hn, true."

It was like they were talking as if they weren’t there and Sanada and Tezuka were looking at each other and Atobe was sure they were communicating silently somehow.

Sanada’s grandfather crossed the gap between them and grabbed his hand suddenly, turning it over and looking at his palm before dropping it. “Soft hands. He’s not used to hard work. It doesn’t surprise me they’d favour that,” he said over his shoulder to Tezuka’s grandfather. The man looked at him and for a long moment didn’t say anything, but Atobe could see his eyebrows drawing together in a way that was so endearingly familiar from Sanada. “Can you play shogi?”

Atobe blinked in surprise. “No sir.”

"Genichirou said you were top of the class in gun handling. How? I taught him myself."

He hesitated before answering. “By shooting more accurately than they did, sir.” He paused. “I was defeated in both piloting and close combat by them, though.”

Sanada’s grandfather snorted and turned away. “That doesn’t surprise me.” His footfalls were heavy as he made his way back to Tezuka’s grandfather. “He can stay, Genichirou. Teach him shogi before you go back to school.”

"Kunimitsu, remember to visit your grandmother, but stay here too," his grandfather added.

The old men nodded at each other and moved to sit down again. “Set up the dojo, Genichirou. You can all sleep in there together.”

That seemed to be the sign of dismissal and Tezuka gently touched Atobe’s elbow to turn him around and lead him off back in the direction they’d come in. He could still hear the two grandfather’s talking to each other, though after that, he decided it was probably better if he didn’t find out about what.

He didn’t ask anything until they reached the dojo and Sanada and Tezuka were in the middle of setting up what looked like blankets on the floor in a way that seemed ritualistic and very familiar to them.

"Your grandfather was joking, right?" Atobe finally asked as they finished the middle set and spread one on either side. "You’re not really going to teach me shogi."

Sanada straightened up his side of the blankets. “He’ll test you before you leave.” Atobe heard the unspoken ‘he doesn’t tell jokes’ and he shook his head.

"And what are those? Please don’t tell me those are considered beds here."

"They’re futons, Keigo. We’ve always slept on them," Tezuka said.

Atobe looked at the three futons pushed together for a long moment before shaking his head again. “This explains why you both thought the military beds were fine. You think sleeping on a pile of blankets on the floor is normal.” He picked up his bag from the floor. “Next year, you two will accompany me to my family home instead,” he said with a sniff he ignored the quiet chuckle from Tezuka. “Where we can sleep on proper beds and I won’t make you learn old people’s games.”

Atobe dropped his bag at the foot of the middle futon to claim it. It was then that he belated realised Sanada and Tezuka were respectively making up their own beds now and there had never been any question that Atobe was going to be the one to sleep in between them.

It made him smile and almost forget the strangeness of coming to Sanada’s house and meeting their grandfathers.

And then Sanada got up to pull out a shogi board and Atobe sighed. It was going to be a long break.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would advise (re)reading Sanada's intermission before this.
> 
> Sanada and Atobe visit Tezuka in jail after his trial.

The trial had been almost a week ago, both of them sitting in the audience as the verdict had been read out. Sanada had barely noticed as Atobe had gripped his hand tightly with his own, his perfectly manicured nails digging into the skin, and had only noticed the bloody divots when he'd gotten back to Atobe's house. 

They had both been called to give their testimonies about what had happened during the battle, but even as their words were heard and explained away as them being caught up in the heat of the battlefield, they had known it was pointless. He had seen the tightening of Tezuka's jaw as he'd been sentenced to death, the convulsive twitch of his hands that was the most reaction he would ever show, and the painful closing of his eyes as he resigned himself to his fate.

Sanada had had to drag Atobe out of the room when they'd taken Tezuka away, his hand tight on Atobe's upper arm, trying not to notice how the other man was shaking in anger, all too aware that he felt the same way.

They'd gone to visit the day after the trial, but even with Atobe's imperious demands and the weight of his name behind him, they'd been turned away. The day had ended with Atobe making furious calls to his father while he paced around the Atobe manor's formal sitting room, Sanada staring at his communicator and wondering whether to call his grandfather.

The nights were long and quiet, even as they lay next to each other in bed. He missed the slow, even deep breaths of Tezuka as he listened to Atobe grind his teeth and sigh in his sleep, twisting the sheets around him more as he rolled over.

It was only now that they'd gained clearance to visit, something that Sanada had a feeling wouldn't have been allowed if they had both just been disgraced military officers with no family backing.

The guard that led them to the visitor's room was silent, his shoulders stiff with disapproval at the breach of rules. But Sanada didn't care. He walked behind Atobe, hearing the metallic click of his heels on the floor followed by his own heavier ones. The door was heavy and Sanada entered, both of them sitting down on one side of the table, waiting.

They waited, 5 minutes, 10 minutes. He was almost worried that Tezuka would never be brought in to see them, that there would be a sudden change of mind. But finally the door opened again and Tezuka was led to the opposite side of the table by guards, his wrists and ankles shackled.

Sanada noticed the tiredness to his whole face, the lankness of his hair and the single smudge on his glasses that reflected the harsh light in the room. But still he sat straight-backed in the chair and met their eyes, his jaw as set and his standing as proud as ever. But it had been a long week.

"Kunimitsu. You look terrible," he said finally and Tezuka chuckled quietly.

"Thank you, Genichirou."

It was almost uncomfortable to sit there, all too aware of where they were, of the people surrounding them in the room to make sure nothing happened, and all too aware of the metal Tezuka was forced to wear.

"I'm surprised you're both here. I was informed to not expect visitors."

Sanada also hated to think that... there weren't that many pople that would have visited Tezuka after the trial. The two of them, surely, Sanada's grandfather if he'd been up to making the trip from Daedalus City to the Colonies, but Kunikazu had died a few years previously. It was a very hollowing thought.

Atobe sniffed disapprovingly. "How ridiculous. Of course we would visit. If it wasn't for people pointlessly wasting our time, we would have been here a week ago."

Tezuka was silent for a long moment and then he sighed, some of the stiffness of his posture leaving him. "I'm very sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for," Sanada said. 

"We were both there with you, it was our fault as much as yours if the shots even came from our unit," Atobe spoke angrily. "The Council is just using you to set an example and I'm already beginning to set up an appeal and inquiry to the whole process."

Tezuka's look was sad, almost pityingly at Atobe. "I don't think it will make any difference, Keigo. But thank you."

It made him angry that Tezuka would so easily accept his fate like that and it made him want to lean across the table and hit him in a way that he hadn't done in many years.

"Have you had your trials yet?"

"No, they've been postponed for a few weeks yet."

Tezuka nodded. "Good. You will both be fine."

Atobe snorted. "Unless they decide to make an example out of all of us to further the message."

"They won't. You might both be discharged at most, but... I do not imagine you want to stay anyway."

They were all silent at that, which was enough of an answer for Tezuka. It was true though. While all of them had been faced more than once with the possibility of losing one of them in battle and would have probably stayed in the military, it was a different matter altogether in this case. Sanada had seen Atobe's half filled out resignation forms in his room and he had contemplated his own set that were at the bottom of his bag.

"Time to leave," one of the guards said, beginning to approach Tezuka. "Your time is up."

Tezuka raised his hands. "Please give me a moment longer with my friends." The guard hesitated and then fell back, reluctantly. "Thank you."

He turned to look squarely at both of them and Sanada saw his fingers clench together where they rested on the table. "I am very thankful, to both of you. For many things."

"I am very proud to have had you as my teammates and my friends. I wish you only the best for the future."

Tezuka nodded at the guard and stood up slowly. "Please do not visit me again. I don't think I can bear to see you both again."

Atobe stood up as well, slamming his hands on the table. "Don't you dare say that, Kunimitsu Tezuka. Stop sounding like you're saying goodbye to us."

Sanada put a hand on Atobe's elbow and Tezuka gave him a look that he knew was a request to look after him. He very reluctantly nodded once and even as Atobe shouted after him, Tezuka walked out of the room, the guards shutting the door behind them.

\--

They hadn't returned. Sanada knew Tezuka well enough that he meant what he had said. And if they visited him again, he wouldn't come. So no matter how much Atobe raged at him, Sanada held firm.

But there had never been any question of them going to the execution. The moment Atobe had received notification of the date and time, he'd simply told him the details and no more had been said on the topic.

Sanada tried not to remember the sight of Tezuka's body hitting the ground after the shots were fired and even years on, pushed it firmly from his mind whenever it thought about it, even as the sound of the guns shooting echoed in his ears.

Instead he focused on how Tezuka's eyes had sought his own as he kneeled before the firing squad. And the last smile he'd received before Tezuka had looked away and closed his eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random Hirakoba/Zaizen friendship.

Akaya missed living with Sanada and there were times that he considered moving back into Sanada Dojo.

Living with Yanagi was more luxurious, even if he had strange habits like how he only used 2 ply toilet paper that he bought in bulk and stored under the sink in rows. And while Akaya frowned over the cheap coffee that was the only kind available in the whole house, at least it was the same brand as the one Sanada drank and was sometime warm and comforting in its familiarity.

But he missed the hustle and bustle of the Dojo, the strange camaraderie with Niou and having Sanada occasionally stare over his shoulder like a hawk at what he was doing. And the meal times weren't quite as warming even though he was pretty sure the food was of better quality than whatever it was that Niou had been handing to them for the past ten plus years.

But even with all that, there were definite bonuses to now living in the colonies. First and foremost was his new proximity to his friends from when he was living on the streets of the port. 

Kaidou lived close by, since he was staying with one of Yanagi's workmates and they saw each other a lot. 

Hiyoshi was harder to get in touch with outside of their group chats since he travelled around the Colonies a lot with Atobe and otherwise was on Alpha 1 when he wasn't traveling.

Zaizen however was very close as well, just a quite journey across to the Kappa colonies where he spent his days holed up in a small apartment that Akaya swore probably used more electricity in it than the rest of the entire neighbourhood combined.

That afternoon found him knocking on the door of the apartment, one that, given the rest of the building, he almost expected to whoosh open like he saw in old movies with fantastical spaceships in them.

Although from his regular visits there, he knew that it just opened automatically inwards rather than sliding open, but each time Akaya was a little disappointed.

Sanada Dojo doors slid open.

The room was dark and Akaya fumbled around a bit before turning the lights on. Zaizen often just automatically opened the apartment's door without answering it, although he suspected that he had some cameras rigged up so he could see people walking past.

Zaizen was, as expected, sitting at his desk with the glow of the computer screen on his face. Akaya frowned slightly at his appearance, which seemed a bit more rumpled than normal.

“Hey Hikaru,” Akaya glanced at the screen, some sort of coding by the look of it. “What're you doing?”

“Staging an intervention.”

Zaizen just turned the screen slightly towards him and brought up a video and Akaya found himself watching a video of himself just a few minutes ago, buying a drink.

“Wha--?”

“Melon soda. It's gross. No.” And then Zaizen threw a pen at him.

He was about to reply as he heard some splashing from the bathroom and he looked over. The door was closed and he could definitely see some light coming from inside.

“Who's in your bathroom?”

Zaizen turned his attention back to his computer and the video was gone, replaced with the lines of coloured code again. “A friend.”

Akaya blinked in surprise. He was pretty sure both Hiyoshi and Kaidou were working today. “You have other friends?”

There was a pause. “Yes.”

That was even more of a surprise, that he would admit it. “How did you meet? Can I meet them?”

“I kidnapped them.”

Akaya was silent and he stared at Zaizen, the only sounds the tapping on his keyboard and the sounds of movement from within the bathroom.

All too suddenly the bathroom door opened and Akaya found himself staring as another man walked out of the bathroom, naked.

“Wha--?” He blushed and turned away, glancing back to look at him. He occasionally did naked runs to the bedroom to get clothes when he'd forgotten them, and he knew that Niou did them as well... though more on purpose than because he'd forgotten anything, but that was Niou, not some blonde stranger.

“Oh, I didn't know you had a guest over,” they said, stopping at the couch and Akaya saw them starting to pull clothing on. “I'm Rin Hirakoba. Nice to meet you.”

Akaya waved awkwardly, still trying to avert his eyes. Hirakoba still had no pants on. “Yeah, you too.”

There was a moment of silence as Hirakoba finished getting dressed, Akaya deciding that staring at the strange painting on the wall was a good place to look until all the movement out of the corner of his eye stopped. Then he looked again.

“I got a call from Eishirou while I was in the bath. I have to head back early,” Hirakoba said and Zaizen just nodded. 

And much to Akaya's surprise, he crossed the room and enveloped Zaizen in a hug, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I'll see you later, hun. I'll try drop by next week.”

“Okay.”

“Make sure you eat properly, something other than sweets. And sleep in a bed, not your chair.” Another kiss and Hirakoba slapped him lightly on the shoulder as he pulled away. “And go bathe when I leave. You still smell.”

Zaizen didn't move, despite the nodding that he did and Hirakoba made a detour to grab a bag from a corner of the room before making his way over to Akaya and the door.

“It was nice meeting you, Hikaru's friend. I'd stay to talk but I really have to go back to work.” Hirakoba patted him lightly on the shoulder before passing him. “Make sure he bathes and doesn't just sit in his own stink for a week.”

And just like that he was out the door, it opening automatically for him and Akaya saw Zaizen click a button again to have the door close.

There was an awkward pause between them as Akaya thought of something to say. Thankfully, or maybe not, Zaizen spoke first.

“He's not a very good hostage.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random Rin thing.

_I’m applying for extended leave for next month._

_Okay_.

_Don’t go on a holiday suddenly or you can't get your present._

Hirakoba glanced at the clock as he put his communicator inside his jacket pocket. It was the end of his shift. 

It had been quiet for the entire duration except for a short interaction at the beginning where an unauthorised Guilders ship had passed into their territory.

Zabrze was a quiet defence point, located closet to the colonies of the series of defence points. Most interferences were dealt with by Boaz, Yaqob and Ta’uz before they reached them.

But they were the last point of defence as well, as Commander Kite constantly reminded them.

Hirakoba quickly filled in the log book, signing his initials with a flourish as he pushed himself away from his station.

“I’m off,” he called out, already out the door before he could hear the usual grumblings of Kai, who worked two hours later than him.

He made a detour to his room to collect some things, taking the opportunity to clip up his hair and stretch. Just as he was about to leave, the door opened again and his roommate stepped in.

“Done as well?” he asked, watching as Chinen folded himself onto his bed, already undoing the top buttons of his uniform jacket. “You can use the bathroom first, I have to see Eishirou.”

Chinen looked at him, his gaze as sharp as ever, even after a full half-day shift and shadows under his eyes. Then his gaze shifted, lingering on the pile of paper on Hirakoba’s desk.

“You’re taking leave again.”

“It hasn’t been approved yet.” But they both knew that barring any increase in the hostilities involving the colonies, his request for leave would be approved.

“You’re going to see that friend again.”

Hirakoba paused, looking at Chinen with a frown. They’d known each other since the military academy and Chinen had been bad even then, at expressing himself. From his first awkward introduction that Hirakoba still teased him about now, to the even more awkward congratulations after Hirakoba had kicked him in the face to take the top marks in the hand-to-hand combat component in their final year.

But he could see the annoyance, the… jealousy maybe, in Chinen’s expression. That had been there since the night after their final examinations and Hirakoba had maybe foolishly not done anything about to deal with it.

“It’s really none of your business who I’m seeing, you know.” Hirakoba smiled a bit and he was gratified to see Chinen’s expression shutter. “And you should shower. You always smell like grease after your shift.” He waved as he headed for the door again.

“Rin.”

Hirakoba stopped, his hand on the exit button. He didn’t turn around to look at Chinen.

“Why?”

“Because he’s interesting. And funny.” He grimaced a bit and shrugged. “He’s too short though.”

He hit the button a bit harder than necessary, the door sliding open and he straightened his shoulders even as he could feel Chinen’s gaze still on him as he left.

Thankfully his attention was drawn to his communicator in his pocket chiming with Zaizen’s custom tone to let him know he’d replied.


End file.
